Dream Bigger
by AFreshlyPickedPlum
Summary: Talented Extractor Amor Anderson is hired by a mysterious businessman with a grudge against a certain British Forger to send him to insanity. Can she and her small team pull it off? BTW: Please review! I'd really appreciate it!
1. Chapter 1

"I have a job for you." the man said to the small group of people in the office, but particularly speaking to their leader. The slim girl smoothed fiery red hair back from a pale forehead with a pale hand.

The redhead smiled. "Well, obviously you do, otherwise, we wouldn't be here right now." This small comment gained a few scattered chuckles from the rest of her team. "Whether we do it or not depends on how much payout there is to go around."

The man, his black hair streaked with gray, smiled back. "There is plenty, so rest assured."

Satisfied with the man's honesty, the girl began pressing for more information. "What do you need us to take, exactly?" she asked, and several members of the group leaned forward in their chairs to hear what followed. The man leaned forward as well, to give his small audience a better presentation.

"I want you to take a man's sanity."

The redhead thought for a moment. "Why call us? This isn't exactly our field of expertise." she said.

The man showed his teeth in a sinister smile. "I did my research, and apparently he is in your business as well. A... Forger, as you would call it."

The girl laughed, vivid green eyes twinkling joyfully. "Well, you sure did your homework. What did this man do to you, anyway?"

The man's joyful personality vanished into thin air. He leaned close to the girl, so close that she could smell the mint-flavored gum in his breath. "He cheated me out of my money. NOBODY cheats me out of my money." He returned to his original position. "So, can you do it?"

"Well, it's possible, just extremely difficult. A lot of the plan I have forming will rely on luck. It might not even work."

"Then we'll just have to take that chance then, won't we?"

The girl laughed again. "I like your style. We'll see what we can do. But first, I would at least like to know the name of my employer."

The man extended his hand. "Antonio Woodward. But please, call me Tony."

The redhead took the hand. "I'm Amor. Amor Anderson. And this is my team."

"Benjamin, on point." she said, indicating a young man leaning against the corner. He had raven-colored hair, giving him a sleek look.

"Dennis, our Architect." Amor continued, gesturing toward a thin boy with small glasses and short brown hair.

"And Apollo, the Forger." she finished, pointing at another man with black spiked hair dyed with streaks of bright blue.

"Only four?" Tony asked.

Amor chuckled again. "Trust me, four will be more than enough."

"Well then, I have one last condition for you. I come along as well."

Amor was mildly surprised, but confident that she could talk her new employer out of this radical new idea. After all, if they lost the employer, they lost their paychecks. "With all due respect, sir, you have no idea what you're up against."

"I did my homework, remember?"

"No amount of homework can replace years of experience in this business. Please sir, for your own good."

Tony decided to exercise his new power. "Either I come along or I'll find another team to do the job."

Amor was hesitant. No job was just as bad as no boss. They would have to take their chances. "Of course, sir."

The rest of the group watched carefully, unaccustomed to hearing their leader back down from anything. But they had faith that she would have a backup plan.

Tony spoke again. "So what are you planning to do? Tamper with the dream machine mechanism or something? I'm not a professional in this business, remember?"

Amor laughed. "You're going to have to dream bigger than THAT."


	2. Chapter 2

"What's the best way to drive a person to insanity in a dream?" No one volunteered.

"Well, there are two ways to do this. We could put him under, move him to a fabricated environment, while one of you sets up the scenario for him in the dream. It could be anything, a barren wasteland, a dense forest, but complete isolation from society. Much like a caged zoo animal. The problem with this is that a Forger would detect the fabrication almost immediately. Also, this requires a lot of funds, skill, and pure luck." Amor paused.

"Second option. We set him up with a fake team for a fake job and send him to Limbo. Limbo will take care of the rest. The catch? Anyone who goes on this mission also runs the risk of going to Limbo." She paused again.

"Anyone who wants to back out may do so. We won't hold it against you." After a moment's pause, Benjamin silently stood up and walked out of the room. Nobody watched him leave. Soon after, the sound of the metal door closing was heard.

Amor waited until it was clear that everyone in the room was aware of the danger and intended to stay. Of course, the only ones besides her in the room were Tony, Dennis, and Apollo. Dennis seemed content in staying since he was convinced that as an Architect, he wouldn't be put under and would therefore not run the risk of Limbo. His job was easy- draw the levels, get paid. Not much to say.

Apollo, on the other hand, knew the danger and was exposed to it full-force. He wasn't in for the money, though- no, it was much more than that. It was Amor- his best friend from childhood. While she had always been brave, and overly so, now it had come to the point of pure recklessness. They could almost read each other's minds, they were almost the  
>same person, and Apollo could sense that Amor was slipping. She was losing her grip- again. And if she fell, Apollo wanted to be there to catch her.<p>

"Does anyone know a good Point Man?" Amor asked, breaking the silence.

"What about A-" Dennis started, but Apollo anticipated the end of the sentence and clamped his hand firmly over Dennis's mouth.

"Does anyone know someone who could MAKE a good Point Man?"

Tony cleared his throat. "My niece, she shows no fear and has amazing leadership skills. That is, if that's what you're looking for."

Amor thought for a moment. "Where is your niece, exactly?"

Tony scratched his head uncomfortably. "That's the problem. She lives in... Venice."

"Well, we have funds, correct?" Amor asked, grinning impishly.

-x-

The flight from San Francisco Airport to Venice, Italy is approximately twelve hours, not including fuel stops. On a flight like this, most people tend to sleep. But Amor Anderson is not most people. Of course, Amor Anderson intends to stay fully awake. So that is why, on the night before departure, Amor Anderson tries her hardest to sleep peacefully...

-x-

"Why can't I go with you?" Amor asked.

"It's too dangerous."

"Everyone else is going, why I can't I?"

"Where we're going, you may not come back." he said, turning.

"I can take care of myself. I'm not a little kid."

He shook his elegant head and sighed. "I had hoped it wouldn't come to this. Amor, please forgive me."

He turned back to face Amor. "I don't love you. The only reason I let you love me was because I could see how helpless, how desperate you were. I dated you out of pity." By now, he could see how upset Amor was. "If you can't live with that, you might as well turn around and leave this operation."

Amor was sobbing by now. She turned and ran, not knowing nor caring where she would end up. When she finally stopped to rest, she frantically pulled out her necklace, the pendant a large, pale, heart-shaped stone, feeling the back for the telltale chip that she knew would be there. She wished that it wasn't, that she was just dreaming, but she knew that no one else's mind could conjure up her totem so perfectly, so precisely. She looked to her left, where she knew that somewhere, in that general direction, the team would be making its final preparations...

-x-

Amor awoke with a start, clutching her totem, the necklace that she never once took off. She felt the back for the chip that would decide her reality. Every night, the dream was the same. Every night, the memory haunted her. She looked in the corner of her apartment, where the packed box still stood. When she had returned home that dreadful night, she had packed all of his things for him, hoping that he would at least return to claim them, so she could have one more look at his beautiful face. But he never came. And, most likely, he never would. She rolled over on the tear-stained pillow and tried for another few hours of sleep.

-x-

She looked outside the window in her apartment. Another gray day in San Francisco. Having lived in the city her whole life, Amor was already too familiar with its weather patterns. Clouds, more clouds, more clouds, the occasional sunny day, then back to clouds. Not much variety there. So it wasn't the weather that attracted her to the city. Certainly not. It was the general crowd. Artists, writers, singers, performers... dreamers. Her kind of crowd.

Her kind of crowd... She gazed across to the piers, where the silver-clad men would be getting ready for the day, along with the spray-painters, the breakdancers, and all of the other street performers. San Francisco... the magical city.

-x-

_Too many people._ That was the only thought in Apollo Elgrove's mind as he meandered through the throngs of people at the already hectic airport. _Any one of them could be holding a knife, or a gun, or a bomb._

He felt a gentle tap on his shoulder. Already tense, Apollo almost sent his fist, which was just as deadly as any knife, or gun, or bomb, smashing through the woman's skull- until he recognized the flowing mane of red hair. "That's what airport security is for," Amor answered to Apollo's unspoken thoughts.

Now united, the two walked together and tried their hardest not to lose each other. "Do you have the tech?" Amor whispered into Apollo's ear as they walked. He nodded. "Wouldn't leave home without it. They pulled out of the crowd and into Cinnabon. Amor headed straight for the counter.

"Anything for you?" she asked her partner.

Apollo shook his head. "Just yogurt. I thought you were still on the diet, too."

"I am," his redheaded friend replied. "But I cheat every now and again."

"Hello, miss. Can I help you today?" The girl at the counter asked, a bit too sweetly.

"Yes. A Classic Roll for me, and a strawberry yogurt for my friend."

"Of course, miss." The girl packaged the goodies in a Cinnabon bag. "Anything else for you today?"

"No, thank you."

"Have a nice day, miss!" Again. Sweet like the Cinnabon frosting.

Amor walked back to Apollo, and they melted back into the huge mass of people. "Glad we could get out of there, that girl was giving me the creeps."

"She's hiding something. I don't know what, or from whom, but she's hiding something." Apollo said, somewhat randomly.

"Probably the fact that she hates her job. Apollo, everyone's hiding something."

_Including you_, Apollo thought.


	3. Chapter 3

_Is it really right, to drag my niece into all this?_ Tony thought, as he waited at Gate 29. _Amor said that once you're involved in the business, it is nearly impossible to stop. Like an... addiction. Once you've shared in the dream, there's no coming back to reality. No return._

His thoughts were interrupted as Amor and Apollo, breakfast in hand, rushed into the gate. "No need to rush," he told them.

"Yes, if I want to keep my breakfast down." Amor replied, taking a large bite out of the cinnamon roll. Apollo removed the lid from his yogurt and began taking spoonfuls, nodding his agreement.

"Don't you people fly on planes regularly?"

"Yes, but Amor still isn't fond of them." Apollo said, looking at his redheaded friend.

They sat in silence at the gate for a while, the only three there that early. Finally Amor spoke.

"So Tony, tell me more about your niece." she said.

Tony leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his neck. "You know, it seemed like a good idea at first, but now I'm starting to have second thoughts. What if she can't stop?"

Amor leaned forward. "It's not the same for everyone. I know a man who just uses this as a profession. I know another, a Point Man, in fact, who loved the dream world so much that he simply couldn't pull away. I know that he has tried many times to stop, but he couldn't. It isn't to the point that the dream has become his reality, but he is so attracted to the creation aspect of the dream. And, of course, there are people in between. Don't worry, if she doesn't want to, we won't make her."

Tony shifted uncomfortably, wondering if he was letting his quest for revenge get out of hand. "Alright, then. Stacy is a good, studious girl. She is never afraid to do anything, and she is very good in leadership. She is skilled in research as well, which is why I immediately thought of her when you needed a Point Man. Or Woman, as I should say."

"Is she good at impersonations, by any chance?" Apollo asked.

Amor glared at him. "Apollo! I know you wanted to be on point, but Forging is much harder to teach. You'll have to stick with Forger for this one."

Tony smiled. "No, unfortunately, she isn't. Sorry, Apollo."

"Would you call her... imaginative?" Amor asked.

Tony scratched his head. "Um, not... really. I mean, she's always been by the book, you know?"

Amor smiled. "Perfect. Those are the best kind."

-x-

Suddenly Amor felt added weight on her right shoulder. She looked over to find that Apollo had fallen asleep there. Amor smiled, almost laughing at how easily her best friend had given in to fatigue. She smoothed the hair off of his face, and then returned to gazing at the passing clouds.

They had been in the air for five hours, give or take. Amor knew because she found that she couldn't stop glancing at her watch. The watch was a staple item for Extractors. Time was always of the essence. Time was money. The more time spent on a job, the less pay. And pay was very, very important. So it was only instinct that forced Amor to keep her eyes glued on her watch. Because this was going to be a very time-consuming flight.

Across the aisle, Tony had his eyes closed and his arms folded across his chest. Amor looked at him, while being careful not to let her gaze linger on him for too long- she couldn't let authorities, or anyone else for that matter, realize that they had a connection with the powerful businessman. She knew he wasn't sleeping, though; nor was he trying to fool anybody. He was thinking, contemplating. He was wondering if involving his niece in Extraction was the right decision. She had seen this stance before in guilty men. One guilty man, in particular...

-x-

_It was the flight before that last Extraction with him._

He was slouched in his seat, his eyes closed and his lean, elegant arms folded across his lean, elegant chest. Her head was on his chest, her eyes wide open. She knew that he wasn't asleep- his breathing was just a bit too rapid. He was thinking, contemplating.

"What's wrong?" she finally asked.

"Who said there was anything wrong?"

"You can't lie to me."

"It's nothing."

"Do you think that you can lie to me when I'm lying on your chest like this? I can feel your heart speed up whenever you lie. And you've always been a terrible liar."

"Why can't you just believe me when I say that it's nothing?"

"I don't believe you, but I'm tired of fighting."

He didn't respond, instead choosing to enjoy the moment- what could possibly be his last moment with her, because he knew what he would have to do...

-x-

Amor cringed at the memory and looked away from Tony. Instead she looked down at her sleeping friend. No lies there. Apollo had always stood by her, even when things had seemed impossibly difficult. When HE abandoned her, Apollo was always there to comfort her. But what had she given him in return?

_Thank you, friend._

-x-

Amor spotted Tony out of the corner of her eye. He nodded, barely noticeably, and then turned and walked in the other direction as if the encounter had never happened. While she waited for Apollo to find her, she pulled out the directions that Tony had already given her from her trenchcoat pocket. She rubbed the heart-shaped pendant for good luck and glanced down at the metal briefcase in her left hand. _Trail, tech, totem._

Once her blue-haired friend had fought his way out of the airport crowd, they walked out into the salty Venice air. Everywhere, people milled about, the locals running their errands, the tourists gazing in wonder at the sights, busy snapping as many pictures as they could of the passing gondolas.

"Ah, Venice." Amor whispered to herself, so softly that no one else could hear. "Another magical city."


	4. Chapter 4

Stacy was a practical girl. She didn't believe in fairy tales; she never had. She didn't believe in the existence of something unless she saw the proof herself. So, naturally, when her uncle Tony came in talking about a crazy dream world where the dream could be manipulated, she assumed that he had gone crazy. That is, until the redhead named Amor showed her the solid proof.

"Now, watch this." Stacy snapped out of her trance. She usually didn't drift off, but this new world was a bit unsettling. She didn't feel normal here, but for some reason she was okay with that. Drifting off again. But that soon stopped as she saw what Amor had to show her.

All around her, the city buildings that seemed so strangely familiar, yet completely foreign, began to grow. The people around her began to grow as well, although they continued their business as if nothing at all had happened. The streets expanded to fit the size of the rest of the surrounding area. Stacy's world was growing- or she was shrinking.

Stacy was used to having at least some measure of control over her surroundings. But it was only when that control disappeared that she began to appreciate its worth. She huddled into a ball and rocked back and forth while repeating to herself, "It's only a dream. It's only a dream. It's only a..."

"Exactly." came Amor's soft reply as she helped Stacy to her feet. "It's a dream. So it stands to reason that this is, too." As soon as the words left her pale, pink lips, an enormous wave came into view, crashing over the tops of the enlarged buildings. The wave was larger than life, a wave that was big even to the giants that towered over them felt like the entire ocean folding in on them. Although she knew, in some small corner of her mind, that she should be running in terror, all she could do was stand in wonder at the incoming wall of water. She turned to Amor, who simply closed her eyes and sighed with contentment as she waited for the end to come. Stacy turned back and stood, motionless, as her world turned black.

-x-

When Stacy woke up, sweating and panting, she found herself in her own living room, in the comfortable red chair- the one with the elegant gold lining- with Amor next to her, already working at calming the distressed girl. "It wasn't real, remember?" Stacy looked down to find that her fingers were intertwined with her blond curls. It was a nervous twitch of hers, one that she was working hard to overcome. All this strange dreaming was, unfortunately, counter-productive to her progress. She carefully untangled her fingers from the mess of her curls and worked on calming her nerves in a less hair-damaging manner.

"Are you okay? Are you ready to continue?" Amor asked cautiously. Stacy clutched her head as she shifted positions in the chair.

"Y-yes, I think so." she mamaged to say shakily.

Amor nodded slightly and turned to Apollo, who Stacy hadn't even noticed until now. "Another five minutes?" Apollo asked.

"Five minutes... That would mean an hour for us, right? Since thought is accelerated in a dream. That's why you can have an elaborate, intricate dream in a ten-minute nap." Stacy said.

Amor chuckled deliriously as she was pulled under. "Spoken like a true Point Man."

-x-

They weren't in the city this time, although most Extractors would admit that it was the easiest scenario to create. Instead they were in a hotel- or, rather, a very modernized restaurant inside the hotel. Stacy was no longer wearing the graphic T-shirt and dark jeans that she had when she left her familiar living room for the unknown world of dreams. Her clothes had been replaced with more elegant, classy choices that were most likely Amor's doing. In place of her plain cotton shirt was a flowing, sheer piece that was dotted with red and white flowers. Underneath, to make up for the sheer material, was a white laced camisole that was soft and smooth on her skin. Covering her arms was a red cardigan, with sleeves that stopped at her elbow and small brown buttons down the right side. The dark jeans that clung to her slender legs were not hers- they fit all too well. They were most likely some designer brand that Stacy could never hope to afford. The ballet flats that were formed for her foot alone were most likely not hers either. Maybe it was the fit. Maybe it was the color, a bit too bold red for her taste. Maybe it was the fact that no other piece of clothing that she owned had been used, and so it stood to reason that her shoes didn't stand a chance either.

She could tell that Amor had done it because ever since she had stepped into the house, she had made similar fashion choices in the dreams that Stacy had shared with her. The oufit changed every time, but one thing always remained the same. The pale pink heart-shaped pendant on her necklace. She hadn't gotten close enough to tell, but from what she had seen it looked like real rose quartz. It was probably real, given that Amor probably made a fortune off of the payouts for Extractions.

But what struck her as odd was that Amor was extremely protective of it. Stacy had asked before to hold it, but Amor had quickly pulled it away, saying that she would explain later. She was given a moment to take in her surroundings before Amor pulled her out of her trance.

"Still there?" she asked jokingly, a half-smile forming on her dainty face. "Now I'm going to show you how to control the dream."

Stacy felt a slight twang of excitement that only came with being in control again. "Let's try something simple."

Amor lifted her face to the round, orblike lamps that rested above them. As she did, the thin silver rods that connected them to the ceiling vanished and the orbs began to swirl around the room. Suddenly they stopped, suspended in midair as Amor looked over at Stacy, who soon realized that she was expected to continue Amor's light dance. She turned her attention to the lights and attempted to move them. But, she couldn't. No matter how much thought she put into it, or how much she focused, the lights would not budge.

Amor immediately knew what the problem was. "You've got to put a little creativity in it."

"What? But I don't..."

Amor held Stacy's face in her hands. "It's in there, somewhere. Trust me, even the most hardened Point Man has a spark. Find it."

Stacy turned her attention back to the orbs. _Creativity... Why am I confined to spinning them? When I could do so much more..._

As these idle thoughts ran through her head, the floating orbs began to congregate in the middle of the room. A smile spread across Stacy's moist red lips as she constructed her vision. The orbs changed color, each one distinctly different. One red, one green, one bright yellow. But the highlight of her light show was when the orbs began to dance over each other, forming a moving, multicolored sphere of light in the air. Amor watched in delight, the colorful sphere reflected off of her huge green eyes. She laughed and muttered, "Now THAT's it."

-x-

"So, I can just let my imagination run wild?" Stacy asked as she and Amor walked through one of the red and white hallways. By this time, Stacy could tell that red was a recurring theme for Amor.

"Well, yes... Until the projections catch you."

"Projections?"

"They're projections of my subconscious. When you start messing with physics in a dream, they start to feel the effects."

"And since they're only your subconscious, I bet that they would target me as an enemy. Like a wild animal targeting the one who aggravates it. Or like your body system targeting an infection."

Amor turned to look incredulously at Stacy. "Are you sure that you haven't done this before?"

"You keep your past to yourself, so I'll keep mine that way."

Amor briefly pondered the meaning of that sentence, but soon turned to Stacy and said, "Lead the way."

Stacy walked down to the end of the hallway, where an elevator stood waiting. She entered the elevator, with Amor close behind. Once the doors closed, the elevator began to move... but not up. Instead it moved swiftly to the left, and then down, faster that anything imaginable, and it seemed that the force would simply tear them apart. But before that could happen it stopped, and the doors opened to another hotel- this time with Stacy's taste. The bold, red walls and the elegant white flowers that decorated them were gone, replaced by a cool sea blue; the color of the Venice canals that Stacy had grown up with. Gold accents: a doorknob, the occasional seahorse painted on the wall, a patch of carpet, added a new level of grandeur to the already spectacular design.

They kept walking until they reached the end of the hallway- a dead end. Without hesitation, she pushed her arms out from her sides and the walls on her sides pushed out with her motions, creating two identical hallways. She turned to the left and walked down to the end, where a blue door awaited. Stacy turned the golden knob and pushed into the room, and let Amor in.

The first thing that Amor noticed when she entered the room was the abundance of squares. And cubes. Cubed lanterns, square couches, bold, modern paintings of the shapes, in various shades of blue. Amor gazed around, wondering if the square theme was common for those on point.

"I think I've seen enough to know that you are naturally talented." But despite Amor's words, Stacy kept going. Pushing up ceilings, expanding walls, enlarging windows, animating paintings.

"Stacy, maybe you should-"

It was then that the projections came, breaking down the door to the room. They carried large guns, although they didn't put them to use yet. Amor found a comfortable corner to wait for the projections to get to her. She felt hands all around her, pushing, pulling, hitting. Would they finish her off quickly, or would they leave her to die slowly, torturously? She could hear Stacy's shrieks above all of the scuffling of shoes and the occasional sick sound of a fist meeting flesh. Then Amor heard her wailing, high-pitched holler, "STOP!"

And the strange thing was that it did.


	5. Chapter 5

"How did you do that?"

Stacy looked at Amor, a bewildered expression on her face. "I-I-I don't know. I just... did. The way I've been doing everything else."

Amor suddenly had a thought, and turned to Stacy. "Shhh," Amor hissed, pressing a finger to her lips. "Do you hear that?"

Stacy tried. She really did. But no matter how hard she strained, she simply could not hear whatever it was that Amor had made her stop to listen for. "No."

"Exactly!" Amor laughed gleefully. At first Stacy thought that the Extractor had finally lost her mind, until Amor pointed to the large, square clock on the wall. And there was no sound coming from it. The second hand didn't budge. And Stacy suddenly understood.

Amor clasped Stacy's face in her hands and confirmed her thoughts. "You've stopped time, dear! Wait, wait, I want to know how long you can hold out." From the blue piano on the lower level she retrieved the metronome, which had been working the entire time. Amor sat down on a blue velvet chair with the metronome and began to tap her foot to the rhythm, counting off the seconds under her breath.

Both waited, tense as they braced themselves for the projection attack that could come at any time.

"Four hundred forty... four hundred forty-one... four hundred forty two..."

Amor heard the clock first. The unmistakable click, the one that she had spent a large portion of her life living by. A split second before the attack. The projections came on, not wielding their guns and knives and fists, but instead their teeth and nails, hissing and roaring, driven on by an animalistic rage, a white fury, an unparalleled desire to destroy the one that destroyed their world. And then they were in Stacy's Venetian home, both panting with fear, too shocked, too bewildered to notice each other. Eventually, Amor forced her words out.

"Four hundred forty-two. That's your unlucky number, Stacy."

Apollo rushed over. "What happened?"

Stacy swallowed hard, trying to regain her composure after the attack. "I-I-I..."

"She stopped time." Amor finished for her. "I don't know how, but I know that we're going to need her for every bit of this mission."

Stacy looked at Amor. "Well, Stacy?" Amor asked. "How are you feeling?"

Stacy breathed in deeply. "Terrified, honestly. But... exhilarated. I want to do this."

"Well then, welcome to the group."

-x-

"We need someone to dish out the job, Tony."

Tony turned towards Amor. "And that is my job because..."

"You're the one with the funds, and the connections. It needs to be at least semi-plausible." Amor replied, gazing up at the sky, trying to find the tops of the skyscrapers that seemed to go on forever. "Do they end?" she asked Dennis, who was staring at the contrast that his shoes made with the black pavement.

He glanced up. "No, they do not. Unlimited dream space."

Although her eyes were still fixed at the point where the buildings disappeared into the clouds, a white smile spread across Amor's face. "Well done, Dennis."

Tony cleared his throat, bringing the group's attention back to him. "Semi-plausible?"

"Think about it. A poor homeless man wouldn't have the means, money, or motive to hire a team of Extractors. A powerful businessman, more likely."

Tony was silent, thinking. "I do know someone," he said, slowly. "Who would be likely to hire an Extraction team." Amor turned to him now, determined to hear the rest.

"And he owes me a favor. I suppose that this would count as one."

"His name?"

"Michael Cobal." Amor raised her eyebrows, recognizing the name but not quite remembering the source.

"Cobal..."

"Cobal Industries." Her mouth fell open in surprise. Now she remembered the name. Cobal Industries had often hired her old team for Extractions.

"First ask him if he can do it. Then, I'll tell him what he needs to do." Tony nodded.

"Dennis, you won't have a very big part in this job." He looked down, slightly disappointed.

"Apollo, we'll need you for every bit of this mission." He looked up.

"Tony. We're going to need to know everything about the target. Where he lives, how long he sleeps, his Social Security number. Everything."

"Shouldn't be too hard, considering that I've spent the last five years of my life stalking this man."

"Creepy, but helpful."

"I don't know his last name, and the first name that he gave me is probably an alias."

"It's better than nothing, Tony. Shoot."

"His name..." Tony began, "is Eames."

-x-

Amor lowered the binoculars. "This feels wrong."

"Of course it does." Apollo mumbled through a mouthful of yogurt.

Amor rested her chin on her hands. "I know that he wasn't always the most honest person, but Eames always meant well."

"Always?"

"Well, to us, anyway. I just feel bad because now we're responsible for this." Amor sighed. "You two used to be really good friends."

"Used to. Those days are past, Amor." Inside the house, a light turned on and Eames came into view briefly as he passed through a room.

"Why are we even here? We already know almost everything about Eames."

"Who knows? People change."

Amor turned away from the car window. "Yeah, I guess so."

-x-

Apollo and Amor returned from their stakeout late at night. Dennis was at his desk, still working. He was determined to finish his portion of the job quickly so he could get some down time. Stacy was watching him work, intrigued.

When they walked in, Stacy looked up. "So Eames used to work with you guys? Didn't your ex work with him too? What was his name, A- Eep!" Amor was already tired and on edge, but this last remark pushed her over. She grabbed Stacy by her shirt collar and pinned her against the wall.

"Don't. Say. A word." Amor said through gritted teeth, breathing heavily in between each word. She pulled something out of her jeans and pressed it to Stacy's neck. Reluctantly Stacy looked down, to find that Amor had pressed a gun to her.

"Please don't..." Stacy whispered, sobbing faintly. A wicked smile formed on Amor's usually passive face.

"Stop." Apollo said from the other side of the room. Amor kept the gun pointed at Stacy.

"Amor..." Stacy trembled with fear.

"ISABELLE! STOP!" At this, Amor stood up straight and Stacy dropped to the floor. Dennis immediately came to her side. Amor turned around to face Apollo and walked toward him slowly, her steps not straight, her eyes filled with rage and hatred, an emotion seldom found there.

"Apollo, you should know better than to push me over. Especially when I'm holding a gun." She shoved it under Apollo's chin.

"You wouldn't." Apollo said bravely, although his Adam's Apple bobbed against the gun. "I know you wouldn't."

"You don't know anything about me." Amor said, her eyes cold. She was now beyond the point of reason. The madness that had threatened to take over her for so long had finally prevailed.

"I know everything about you." Apollo countered. "I know that your name isn't Amor, for one. It's Isabelle Samantha Anderson."

Amor's hand trembled.

"I know that you went to River Glen High School. I know that your pride is your greatest weakness. I know that you don't wear lipstick because you always bite your lower lip."

Tears began filling in her large green eyes.

"I know that you are allergic to avocados and hairspray. I know that in the third grade, you punched a boy in the nose because he bullied your younger brother. I know that your dreams of being a musician were crushed when your parents found out. I know that Dominic Cobb took you in, and gave you something to believe in. I know that if your parents, Oliver and Serena, were still alive, they would not want you to be holding a gun."

Shaking violently, Amor lowered her arm.

Apollo's voice softened. He stooped down to hold Amor, who had crumpled to the ground. "I know that at your first Prom, no one wanted to ask you. So I did. I know that you wore a pink dress, the strapless one, with the hearts on it. I know you wore that pink quartz necklace, the one that you still wear today."

Amor was crying now, pressing her face into Apollo's shirt.

"I know that you really loved him. I know that when he left you, it was the worst thing that you had ever known."

"And I know that you are the best friend I've ever had." Amor choked out. They stayed silent for a while.

"This is the last job. I promise. And then I'll call it quits."

Apollo smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

Amor leaned over the bridge. The cool, blue water swirled underneath, clear and sparkling. The air was filled with the salty scent of the sea. Golden gondolas floated on the surface, although no one was manning them. The streets were empty. The waters were empty. The city was empty. Except for them.

A gondola floated past, close to Amor's face. The blue paint was fresh, and a golden seahorse sat at the front. Golden letters sparkled on the side. _Spigoloso_. Yes, this was definitely Stacy's dream.

She turned around to face Stacy. Since the meltdown, Stacy had been a bit more nervous around Amor. Amor couldn't blame her. She massaged the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"Today, I will finally show you the Totem." From the confused look on Stacy's face, she could tell that she wasn't catching on. "In other words, the secret behind this necklace."

A look of understanding blossomed across Stacy's face. Amor unclasped her necklace and weighed it in her hand. She smirked.

"Now you see, the totem is a token that some Extractors carry with them. The only person that ever touches the totem is the person whom it belongs to. Only they know its exact size, weight, and irregularities. So, it helps us keep track of our reality. Since no one knows every little thing about your totem, no one else can make it exactly like it is in the real world." She held up the necklace.

"This," she said, dropping it into Stacy's hand, "is my totem."

"But... you're letting me touch it."

"This is your dream, remember? Which means that my totem is useless here. If my totem is exactly the way I know it to be, we are in the real world. But this is your dream, and you have no idea what my real totem feels like."

"Oh..." Stacy turned the necklace over in her hands, rubbing her thumbs over its smooth surface. "If the totem shows reality, then why don't you just get a hold of Eames's totem and replicate it?"

Amor chuckled. "I like the way you think. Before I knew it was Eames, I didn't know if they had a totem. You see, my old friend, Dom Cobb, and his wife, invented the totem concept. So mostly, the only people who have totems were good friends with them. But no one knows for sure what Eames's totem is. Some say that it's a poker chip, but I don't think so. It has to be more creative than that."

"So you want me to find a totem."

"Exactly." Amor said, retrieving her necklace and fastening it around her neck.

"I don't know what my totem would be. It should represent me, and it should be unique." Stacy sat down on a wooden bench. Amor sat down next to her.

"I could tell you about other people's totems, if you'd like." Stacy nodded.

"Well, Cobb's totem is a spinning top. Apollo's totem is a pocketwatch, the old kind." Amor said, slumping back into the bench. "Our old Point Man, Benjamin, his totem was a playing card. Particularly, a three of clubs."

"What about Dennis?"

Amor laughed. "Dennis's totem is quite clever, actually. It's a notebook, filled with various drawings and scrawls that only he would know about. Foolproof."

"Huh." Stacy looked around at her city, searching for some sort of inspiration. Her eyes fell on one of the gondolas, running over its surface. Finally they rested on the tip. Or, particularly, the golden seahorse on the tip.

-x-

Amor sat down in the office chair at the head of the table and spun around once, lightly catching herself by planting a toe on the floor.

"I am assuming that none of you know why I have called an emergency meeting this late at night." Stacy slid her hand into her pocket and began fumbling with something inside.

"Our good old Dennis has detected a major flaw in our plan." Amor continued. "We will all be sedated, naturally, since we will need to send Eames to Limbo and stay asleep long enough to do it. Eames's team will know that they have to be sedated. So they will know how to get out. They can't wait out the week, since they know that the Mark is militarized. Once we get in, all hell will break loose."

Stacy was busy trying to remember all of the terminology that she had been crash-coursed on during the past week. Limbo-when you die in the dream with a sedative. Mark- the target. Militarized-when the Mark has had "dream training" against Extractors. She shuddered at the memory of that particular lesson. Amor had shown her what a militarized Mark's dream would look like. And yes, all hell had broken loose. Amor once again interrupted her train of thought when she continued to speak.

"So on to OUR problem..." Amor said, looking at each member of her team in the eyes. "How do WE get out?"

Each person had a different reaction. Tony nearly fell backwards in his chair. Stacy stared in disbelief. Dennis slapped his forehead for roughly the hundredth time that night, blaming himself for not seeing the flaw sooner. Apollo's eyebrows furrowed in concentration. He was trying to think of a solution.

There was silence for a while, everyone lost in his or her own thoughts. Finally Tony spoke.

"And this issue just happened to show itself the night before the operation?"

"I suppose so."

Stacy's eyes slowly traveled to Dennis. "We need Dennis on the outside."

Amor stopped to look at Stacy, who continued to voice her idea. "How do you think they plan to get out? I'm sure that they have someone on the outside to give them the Kick. Why can't we just do the same thing?"

The Kick- Stacy recalled from her training sessions- when someone on the outside or on a previous level wakes you physically. Usually tipping you over... or backwards... to create that sense of falling that wakes you up.

Amor shook her head, laughing. "Miss Stacy, you never cease to amaze me."

-x-

"OW!"

Apollo's eyes snapped open as Amor's shout rang through the warehouse. He turned over in the sleeping bag to see Stacy's bright blue eyes staring back at him from across the floor.

"Do you want to check on her?" she whispered. In response, Apollo slowly raised himself up and swung his long legs out of the side. Stacy closed her eyes and rolled back over.

They had all spent the night in the warehouse, so they could leave for Los Angeles immediately. The warehouse had been their headquarters lately- their training center, their dreaming center, their planning center. All ready to pack up and go, if the need should arise.

Apollo walked toward the sound of punching. Amor was there, her red hair messy from a restless night, a gray t-shirt and sweats adorning her slim frame. At the moment, she was giving a beating to a very old, worn punching bag. Even though Apollo entered making no more sound than a cat at hunt, Amor already knew he was there. She turned around, an apologetic pout on her face.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Yes. And Stacy too."

"Oh."

Apollo walked up in front of her. "The kid needs her sleep."

For the first time, Amor noticed how extremely tall her friend was. "Wow." she said, craning her head up to look at him. "You sure aren't the boy I met in first grade."

She smiled. "Do you even remember that?"

Apollo smiled back. "Or maybe you're just shrinking."

"I doubt it." Amor turned back to the punching bag. "Sorry for waking you guys. I can't sleep. I mean, this is the last job I'll ever do." She landed a punch in the middle of the bag.

Apollo watched her with interest.

"You're all attack. Work on your defense."

Amor seemed to not hear him, putting her full strength into every thrust.

Apollo grabbed her arms before she had another chance to strike.

"You have to protect your center." he said, moving Amor's arms into a more defensive position. "Otherwise, who knows what could happen."

"Stop." Amor said, shoving Apollo's hands off.

"Stop what? Stop helping you? If I stopped helping you, we would be one less Point Woman right now. And you would probably alienate the few people who are still standing by you."

Amor turned around to face him.

"You know what I meant. Stop... trying, Apollo. I'm not ready for something like that yet. I still need time to heal."

"More time? How long, another three years? Because that's how long you've had."

"Just... not that, Apollo. It reminds me too much of him."

"Everything reminds you of him!"

Amor looked down, trembling.

"I don't know what to do. I'm just so confused right now."

"Well, I do." Apollo took Amor by the shoulders. "You need to let him go."

"I can't."

"Why not? Because you think he's still out there somewhere, looking for you? He's not. He's moved on. Now you need to do the same."

A single tear ran down Amor's cheek.

"Face it, Amor! He's not coming on a white horse to save you. You have to save yourself."

Amor flung her arms around Apollo's waist, sobbing into his shirt.

"Or let me save you..." he whispered into her tangled mess of red hair.


	7. Chapter 7

Amor blinked slowly, taking in her surroundings. Gently, she eased herself into a sitting position. She was sitting on a city sidewalk, and the cars whizzed past her, throwing her hair into her face. She looked around for her other team members. Stacy appeared from around the corner, with Tony behind her. She helped Amor to her feet.

"Where's Apollo?" she automatically asked.

"What, were you worried?" asked a passing man. He slowly changed back to Apollo.

"Save it for the actual mission." Amor scolded, ignoring his question.

"They used a city for the first level? Their Architect isn't very imaginative."

"We have to get moving." Stacy said, speaking for the first time. "They were planning to jump the Mark in this stage. So we have to find the Mark and tail him. We'll split into two groups: I will go alone, Tony will go with Apollo and Amor."

"Good luck." Amor said, resting a hand on Stacy's shoulder. Stacy nodded once, her lips pressed in a set line of grim determination. Amor squeezed Apollo's hand reassuringly, and with Tony trailing they headed off in a seperate direction.

Stacy glanced once at her retreating uncle, and then began pushing through the crowds, which had suddenly formed around her. Stacy's eyes were set on one building in particular: the clock tower that rose above all the other buildings. She never took her eyes off of it. Not once.

She kept pushing their way through the crowds, eventually finding herself at the base of the clock tower. Stacy looked around, making sure that no one was watching her. She pushed in on the door and began climbing the long spiral staircase. As soon she reached the top, gunfire was heard from the streets below. Stacy seemed not to notice.

"Amor wanted me to thank you again for doing this."

The man turned around from the large window. "It was no problem. Amor's done a lot for me."

He turned back. "What do we do now, wait?"

Stacy walked up next to him. "Wait, and hope."

-x-

"Hold the fort, Nash." Eames said, placing his hand on the Architect's shoulder as he slipped into unconsciousness. Nash nodded as the Brit's eyes slipped closed. After a moment's pause, Nash slapped him across the cheek. Nothing.

"Clear!" he called out to, seemingly, no one in particular. But Amor materialized from behind the corner, and the gunfire suddenly ceased. She brought Tony out and strapped him to the dream-sharing machine, which was still on the floor next to Eames' sleeping figure.

"Thanks, Nash. I'll pay you when we get out." Amor strapped another tube to her wrist and immediately felt her eyelids dropping.

-x-

Amor woke up in a hospital bed. She looked around- at the white walls, the white floors, the white lights. She listened- and waited. She pushed herself off of the bed and pushed out of the room, where Tony was standing in the hallway. "Are you ready?" he asked as they walked towards the door where Eames' voice was coming from.

Amor checked her gun, then put it back in her jean pocket. "Ready as I'll ever be." As they approached the door, Amor pressed a finger to her lips.

Eames' voice could be clearly heard through the door. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry to be the one to tell you this, but your injuries were so severe, that you will not be able to make it through the night."

"I'm sorry, what happened to me again?"

Eames laughed. "You don't remember? Good thing, it wouldn't be something that I would want to keep in my mind during my last-"

Amor burst through the door, gun in hand. As if on cue, the man in the hospital bed, the Mark, grabbed Eames from behind just as he turned around to see who had entered.

"What the bloody hell?"

"It's over, Eames." Amor said, her voice cold and even. The Mark slowly began to change form, growing taller, thinner, his jaw more defined, his eyes more piercing, until it was Apollo Elgrove that held a struggling Eames in his arms.

"Well done, old friend." Eames said, turning his head as best he could to look at Apollo.

"Why, thank you, Mr. Eames."

Eames turned to stare at Amor. "Why? What have I done to you?"

"Not to me." Tony stepped into the room. Eames' eyes grew to the size of saucers.

"Why don't you just turn around and shoot him? " Eames asked, laughing nervously. "I'd give you a share of the pay. In fact, I'll give you the whole thing."

Amor smirked, silently gloating her genius. "Oh, come on. Did you really think it was a real job?" Eames paused, realizing the truth.

"And besides, I would rather shoot you and get my own reward than have him after me. Trust me, I've seen him at work."

"Then do it." came Tony's voice, distorted with rage and hatred for the British Forger that was now at the mercy of Amor's gun.

Eames' deep blue eyes pleaded with Amor's green ones. "Please." he whispered.

But it wasn't Eames' words that made Amor hesitate. It was something in his eyes- those dark blue depths like vast oceans- a spark of something familiar. A memory- a distant memory- one that she had kept locked away in the blackest pit of her soul. The memory of a hand caressing her face, chocolate-brown eyes smiling into hers. The memory of a lean chest, a strong heart beating as her head lay on it. The memory of a voice... HIS voice, familiar and comfortable.

"Amor, don't do it."

And she realized that it was no longer just a memory. Her eyes were filling with tears. Tears of sadness, joy, shame, anger, accusation, fear, and about a million other emotions. She turned around, slowly, to face the man who had shattered her heart and, just now, put it back together again.

Amor whispered his name softly, delicately, as if it would break if it was handled too roughly.

"Arthur."

**A/N: Okay, hopefully that was a plot twist for you guys. I don't know if anyone figured it out earlier, because if you did this wasn't that much of a powerful scene. If you did figure it out first, please let me know, it would be really appreciated for the future. Thanks for reading, updates to come!**


	8. Chapter 8

"Amor." the Point Man said, walking toward the distressed girl. "Please, put down the gun."

Amor almost threw the gun on the floor, and it landed with a sharp CLANG! Tony watched Amor with silent rage.

"Don't you dare." he said, using all his strength to keep from spitting the words. "You pick up that gun."

"No." Amor whispered, enchanted by her lover's voice.

Tony fumed. Suddenly, he lunged for the gun on the white laminated floor- and shot both Arthur and Eames in the forehead. Amor screamed. Apollo dropped his friend, shocked. Instinctively, he ran to Tony and took him in the same hold that had Eames trapped. Immediately, Amor reached for the gun in Tony's hand and aimed it at his forehead.

"I'll still pay you for your trouble. If you would just release me."

"No amount of money could make up for what you just did." Apollo hissed through gritted teeth. "Amor, do it!"

But she was, again, hesitant. The mad, bloodthirsty side of her was fighting for control, but something held it back…

-x-

"_You have to control it, Amor."_

"_I can't! It's taking over- just get away before I hurt you."_

_Arthur grasped her slender arms. "You can. I know you- you're a strong girl. Fiery, passionate…That's what I love about you- you're everything I'm not. I know you can do it."_

_Amor shut her eyes tight. "You don't understand!"_

"_Just look at me!" Amor opened her eyes. "Just look straight at me, at my eyes. Nothing else. We'll get through this, I promise."_

_-x-_

"That won't accomplish anything."

Apollo looked at her. "What?"

"Killing him won't accomplish anything." She took a deep breath and brought the gun to her temple.

She closed her eyes and pulled the trigger. The last thing she heard was Apollo shouting at her.

-x-

Amor gasped for breath as she finally reached the surface of the water. Everywhere she looked, it was the same. Miles and miles of endless Limbo ocean. Wait- there! That speck on the horizon… land! Amor began swimming, as fast as her legs could carry her.

-x-

"Do you think she'll be okay?" Stacy asked nervously.

"Of course she will. Amor's tough." the man replied. "In all her years of Extraction, she's never failed. Not once. She's kind of a perfectionist in that way."

"Oh." Stacy looked at her shoes, the shiny black pumps that were Amor's own design. "I hope it's enough to save her."

"What would Amor possibly need saving from?"

Stacy looked at him. "Herself."

-x-

Apollo finished tying up a protesting Tony. He loaded his gun and looked outside for signs of projections, and found none. He checked his pocket watch for what seemed like the hundredth time. He waited- and prayed that he would see it, that this was just his own dream. Tick, tick, tick, tick… nope. He closed the watch.

"Forty-five minutes here. I hope that's enough time for you." Apollo said as he looked down on Amor's body. They hadn't anticipated following Eames into Limbo, and hadn't done the calculations for it. But he hoped that Amor would have enough time to get out before the Kick. He reached down to smooth the red hair off of her peaceful face.

"I sure hope you know what you're doing."

-x-

Amor washed up on the beach of Limbo. Her red hair was soaked with seawater, plastered to her face and now coated in sand. Her chest heaved as she gulped down air, and she crawled up the beach. Amor's clothes, once a soft, pale pink, were now stained with her blood as she had slammed into the sharp rocks near the shore. Many of the delicate flowers had been torn off, and the ones that remained were now covered in a thick layer of sand, just like her hands and her knees, which were the first to land on the beach. A gray skirt hugged her curves but was drenched and blood-stained as well. As she struggled to make her way up the slope, one hand reached desperately for her Totem, which now dangled from her neck, without a scratch.

When she reached the top of the small hill she collapsed on her back, raggedly drawing in breaths. She allowed herself to close her eyes for a second, but when she did, she remembered why she came here in the first place. She forced herself to get off the ground, using a nearby rock for support, and began staggering towards the tall buildings in the distance.

-x-

"This is your fault. Why did you have to go and scam that guy?"

"My fault? You're the one who ruthlessly _dumped_ the poor girl!"

"Don't throw it back in my face. I already have to deal with my own guilt."

"…Sorry. … I'm gonna go out, have a look around. Since it looks like we'll be here awhile."

"Go."

Eames silently stood up and walked out of the building. He passed right by the figure in the shadow, not noticing her at all. Watching him leave, she quietly slipped in through the open door.

Arthur was sitting in a chair, his back to her, his head slumped, his fingers twisting, twirling, fumbling with his red die. She tried to enter silently, so he wouldn't see her, but she kept her eyes trained on him. So she didn't see Eames' jacket on the floor.

So she tripped over it. Quite clumsily. And onto the chair. As he fell forward, Arthur turned around, shouting, trying to see who had knocked him over. And as his eyes found her face, they widened- in pure shock.

She landed on top of him, now feeling very embarrassed. This wasn't going at all how she had planned. But it seemed to be good enough for Arthur.

"Amor?" he asked, trying to get a good look at her still slightly damp, slightly bloodstained face. "You came for me?"

She smiled. "And Eames too, don't forget."

"Oh, really? And I thought we could leave him here."

"You won't get rid of him that easily."

He pulled her closer. "You really came? After everything that's happened?"

"Of course I did."

Arthur will say that Amor leaned forward. Amor will say that Arthur pulled her in. Either way, they were soon pulled into a deep, emotional kiss. Neither of them would admit it to the other, but it was the first time that either of them had given in to another's lips since that night. Amor screwed her eyes shut and threw her arms around Arthur's neck.

None of them saw Eames walk in. But he was there, grinning. Although Amor didn't know it, her skirt was riding up as the kiss grew more passionate, and now her black panties were clearly visible from the bottom of the gray fabric. Eames saw this and his smile grew wider. He quickly grabbed Arthur's hand and placed it on the exposed spot. Amor seemed surprised but not entirely shocked. Arthur, however, snapped his eyes open and saw Eames. He glared at him with a look that could kill. Eames winked and smirked. Arthur's eyebrows lowered.

_You know you're loving it._

_Go to hell._


	9. Chapter 9

Stacy fiddled around with the Totem in her pocket. She ran over its surface with her thumb, feeling the ridges, the smoothness of the gold. She finally took it out. She gazed at the golden seahorse, the one that had come off of the Venetian gondolas that she loved so much. Its tail was delicately curled, its eyes shined, its surface was well-polished. Stacy ran a finger along the bottom- and felt smoothness. It was just like the rest of the seahorse. She was still dreaming.

She looked up, out the window. She longed for contact with the other members of her group. She hated just waiting in the dark like this. She turned around to see the surface of the clock tower that she was hiding in. _Well, I won't have to wait much longer, she thought. Three minutes till the Kick_.

-x-

Apollo was on the floor, legs crossed, eyes closed. Calm. Peaceful. Trying to make his presence unknown to the projections on this level. They were there, all right. But they weren't going to find him.

He flipped open the pocket watch. _36 minutes until the Kick_. He glanced down at Amor's body.

_Hurry up, Amor_.

-x-

He pushed his glasses farther up his nose. His stopwatch was counting down. He reached for Apollo's chair.

_15 seconds._

-x-

She didn't know exactly how to describe this feeling. She felt… exposed? Vulnerable, maybe? No, possibly… embarrassed? No, there was a better word- what was it? Um.. AWKWARD. That was the word. That's a good word. Awkward. She felt awkward.

Even as Arthur began talking about serious things, Eames still couldn't hide the smile from his face. Amor couldn't hide the blush that was dominating over her fair complexion. But Arthur hid everything. After all, he was an expert at it. Amor had always supposed that that was what had made her fall for him in the first place. How gracefully he could just smooth everything over. Her complete opposite, but her compliment at the same time. She was the fire, he was the ice. She was the day, he was the night. She was the freeform circle, he was the rigid square.

Of course, they were both paying attention. Arthur was trying to figure out a way to escape Limbo- other than waiting it out, of course. That was unthinkable. To live the rest of your natural life in this place… That was it.

Amor jumped up from her seat on the laminated wood floor of the building. "We have to die!" she said excitedly.

Eames looked at her with an amused expression. "It's going to happen eventually, but not yet, dear."

"No, she's right." Arthur said, standing up in one fluid motion. "We'd have to kill ourselves."

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Eames said, standing up to join them. He smoothed out his jacket.

"The only way out of Limbo as everyone else saw it was to wait until the sedative wore off. Which would be, in Limbo time, the rest of our natural lives. But what happens if we speed up that process?" Arthur waited for Eames to connect the dots. But apparently he didn't.

"We would jump back to the last dream level. We're already in Limbo, so where else would we go? It would be like waking up from a dream." Amor finished for him. Arthur smiled at her.

"Come on."

Eames followed them, still trying to figure out exactly WHY dying in Limbo would get them OUT of Limbo.

-x-

"This is it." Amor leaned over the bridge to watch the swirling water. It was raining now, the overcast sky now pouring sheets of rain, and all three- Eames, Arthur, and Amor were drenched with water. "This is how we can do it."

"What are we waiting for?" Arthur asked, preparing to jump.

"Wait." Amor said, pulling him back. "Go ahead, Eames."

Eames took a running leap off the bridge. The remaining two watched him sink beneath the water.

"What's wrong?" Arthur asked, turning to Amor.

Amor rubbed her arm. "I don't want things to be the way they were before."

"Why? What do you mean by 'before'?"

"Well, when you were gone…" her voice faded into a whisper. She brushed a tear that threatened to fall from her eye. "These past three years have been hell for me. Now I know that I can't live without you in my life. I need you, Arthur."

Arthur stepped toward the small girl and smothered her with his arms.

"You won't have to worry about that. We'll get through this, I promise."

She smiled, looking up at him as the rain fell down her face, down her neck, into her already soaked shirt, and stood up on her tiptoes so she could reach his face. This kiss was different from the one that they had shared earlier; full of love, compassion, guilt, forgiveness, hope, and about a million other emotions. This one was clean; this one was pure, the rain washing away the past, making a new slate for the future.

Amor broke off first. She looked down uneasily at the blue, swirling water underneath the bridge. Arthur read her thoughts. He squeezed her hand reassuringly. "No matter what happens on the other side of that bridge, I won't let go."

Amor managed a weak smile as she stood on the edge. And then she stepped off.

-x-

Eames checked his gun. He'd been here for a half hour and was given guard duty within the first minute. He was awfully bored. They weren't allowed to say anything, so as to not attract the attention of the projections, but it didn't really matter. Apollo and Eames shared a close bond, and could often guess what the other was thinking without speech. Apollo was sitting on the floor, pocket watch still in hand, glancing at it every now and again. He was worried about Amor.

But as the time passed, Apollo's expression grew more intense. "To hell with it." He finally said, standing up. "Two minutes until the Kick." But as soon as the words left his mouth, Amor's and Arthur's eyes snapped open. They immediately reached for each other, gasping as the past few moments still flashed like fire through their memory.

Eames looked at them. Apollo looked away. He flipped the pocket watch open. Then he turned to the two, who were now helping each other to their feet.

"Amor, are you crazy?"

She smiled. "Maybe."

Apollo looked at her, and at Arthur. "You're going to keep doing Extractions."

-x-

The chair was eased backward, ready to drop. Round glasses glinted in the dim light.

"Three."

-x-

Amor nodded sadly. Apollo looked straight at Arthur. "You take care of her, you hear? In my opinion, she's too good for you. But that's not my decision to make. I want you to protect her like I would."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

-x-

"Two."

-x-

Amor ran to Apollo and hugged him. As she let go, she brushed a tear that threatened to fall onto her cheek. She clasped Arthur's hand again.

"I'm sorry, old friend. It probably wouldn't have worked out anyway."

Apollo smiled sadly.

"Well…"

-x-

"One."

-x-

"Maybe in the next life."

The explosion was massive. Various monitors went out of control, glass shattered, shrapnel flew. And the strange thing was that it seemed like the whole hospital was falling out of the sky. But it was impossible to tell, as there were no windows in the room- just blank, white walls. The last thing Amor could comprehend was the ceiling falling on them.

-x-

It felt like the earth was shaking itself apart. Cracks appeared in the ground, huge gaping mouths that engulfed people, trees, sometimes even whole buildings. Stacy watched it all from her clock tower, which was tilting as well, just on the verge of falling over.

Meanwhile, in the second floor of a sinking building, five disheveled people were waking up. But they wouldn't be awake for long- until they woke up again.

-x-

Amor leaped out of her seat, but of course Apollo was already gone. Dennis was helping Stacy restrain Tony.

Amor walked out of the warehouse, into the cool night. The stars were bright, just like the ones they used to have back in the California suburbs. She breathed in deeply, and met the sweet scent of blooming oranges, like the ones in the California groves.

"Goodbye, old friend." She whispered, as the gentle wind carried her words away.


	10. Epilogue

**A/N: Although this is the end of the story arc, and the status says complete, I will be taking "requests", such as how Amor and Arthur met, when Cobb brought Amor into the team, etc. that I will answer in story format. If you wish to have one of these requests fulfilled, please either review with your request or PM me. ^_^ Thanks for reading!**

EPILOGUE-

The blond girl runs down the hallway with the paper in her hand. She turns around, briefly, and that backwards glance is enough to keep her running as fast as she can. After almost tripping on a bump in the hotel carpet, she quickly kicks off her black pumps and runs faster, barefoot, towards the elevator that means her salvation. But she's going to have to be fast. The feet behind her are getting closer.

She is almost there. But she isn't close enough. A hand grabs the back of her shirt. She whirls around, bottomless blue eyes furious, and pushes a hand against the man's chest. Instantly he freezes, along with the two that follow him.

Stacy Woodward slowly pries his fingers off of her shirt, and calmly pushes open the elevator doors. She looks down at the drop that awaits her. She opens the paper, reads it over and over again, whispering its contents, trying to memorize it. She looks down the elevator shaft again. There are three bodies on its surface. One is tall and lean, with black, slicked-back hair and a long face, and he is wearing an immaculate suit. One is brown-haired, with thick lips and stubble on his face. He is slightly heavier-built than the first one, and he is definitely not as clean-cut. The last is a woman, with porcelain skin, a slim figure, and delicate features. But her hair- her hair is flaming red, rich with copper undertones, wavy and long and partially covering her face.

Stacy takes one last look behind her- and jumps.

-x-

When Stacy wakes up, the first thing she does is reach for the pen and paper that is left right next to her. Hurriedly, she scrawls down what she had seen on the paper. Then she thinks to look around her.

Amor, noticing that Stacy had woken, walks over to where she is seated. Eames and Arthur are sitting at the conference table, arguing like they usually do. Dennis is sleeping in a chair next to Stacy. She smiles, watching him.

Amor pulls a chair over and sits down. "He fell asleep waiting for you to wake up. He really likes you, you know. I bet he's dreaming of you right now. Of course, considering the fact that he's the only one of us that has dreams anymore- real dreams."

Stacy smiles at the thought. She hands Amor the paper. "This is what the paper said."

Amor takes it, reads it, folds it, and slips it into her jean pocket. "Thank you."

Stacy looks over at Dennis. "Should I wake him?"

Amor shrugs. Stacy reaches over to shake his shoulder.

-x-

The small flap in the door opens, and a tray of food is shoved in roughly. The prisoner reaches for it. He sits back in the corner.

_If only that idiotic Brit hadn't conned me. If only that redhead hadn't acted so stupid. If only... _Tony thinks darkly as he sits in his prison cell.

Tony will, every once in a while, plot his revenge. But it won't happen. He has four life sentences in prison, due to his involvement in other cold cases for murder and other dark topics. Luckily, this recent Extraction case has uncovered some of the dirt on his seemingly spotless record. He won't be getting out for a while.

-x-

The redhead and the slim man are sitting together at the Aloha Grill. The candles flicker as a sea breeze rushes through the patio. The waves lap at the shore, making white foam as they kiss the land. The stars are brighter than what anyone could have seen from the city. Yes, this was the magic of California.

The redhead chuckles at something that the slim man says. The candlelight casts a soft glow on her face, and the moon makes her hair shimmer. The slim man can't remember anything more beautiful. Suddenly, he decides that this is the time. He must do it now, before the night carries his chance away.

He pulls away from the table, and stands up out of his woven chair. He takes the delicately folded napkin out of his lap. He clears his throat.

"Isabelle Samantha Anderson," he begins, reaching into his pocket. Couples behind him start to whisper and point. He gets down on one knee, and the whispering gets louder. The redhead's eyes widen and a hand jumps up to her mouth. Someone in the crowd shushes the whisperers.

"Will you marry me?" he asks, holding out the open box. The redhead is crying and the people in the crowd hold their breaths. She walks forward to hug him.

"Yes." A cacophony of sound erupts from the crowd; some are clapping, some are whooping, some are "awww"ing, some are just sighing.

It was a traditional proposal, nothing flashy, nothing over-the-top, but it was just what they both wanted.

-x-

Apollo stands in the doorway of the suburban home, watching the two children play in the fading light. He smiles, unable to tear his eyes away. He was supposed to call them in. But instead he just watches them, mesmerized by the sight of his two children.

Their names were Belle and Sam.

_Obsessive?_

Probably.

_But were they beautiful names?_

Of course.

They were_ her _names.


End file.
